Awakenings from Then ’til Now allows you to Embrace Your Past, Empower the Present, Enrich Your Future.

Welcome to Awakenings

Life IS history in the making. Every word we say, everything we do becomes history the moment it is said or done. Life void of memories leaves nothing but emptiness. For those who might consider history boring, think again: It is who we are, what we do and why we are here. We are certainly individuals in our thoughts and deeds but we all germinated from seeds planted long, long ago.

Tuesday, October 25, 2016

Will resume posting after Election Day. Concentration right now should be on the upcoming elections, especially voting for the next President/Vice-President of the United States of America! This is a pivotal point in American history!

At some point in time, you have had or perhaps will have your heart pierced sorrowfully by the loss of a loved one. While you may not bleed outwardly as those inflicted by daggers of war, the pain and sorrow weigh heavily on your heart and mind as you pass through this mortal life on Earth. The comfort of those around you see you through the troublesome times. At the heart of Awakenings lies strong ties to those who give of their all for My America, YOUR America, Our America! Freedom is not free, it comes at a price, a very high price of sacrifice. Those who set personal gain aside, endure separation from family and friends, put themselves in harm's way do it all for you. For me. For America.

We have come far; suffered much; gained, lost, regained;

let it not all be in vain.

Set aside a few moments now, tomorrow and every day thereafter in recognition and appreciation of those who sacrifice every day ensuring the rights and freedoms in America will be protected for generations to come. The fight to maintain freedom is not just for today, it is for America's future.

We're very fortunate to live in the United States where every vote counts! Whether a municipal election or a national election, we the people decide. Decisions are up to you. Up to me. If you don't vote, then what right do you have to express dissatisfaction with government, either locally or nationally?

It's up to you! Stand up for America!Remember, America fought!Americawon!Be sure you proudly wear the button. . .

Sunday, October 23, 2016

More than likely at some point in time you have heard the expression 'Now that's just a bunch of baloney!' Question becomes, is itbaloney or bologna? Even though both words are spelled differently, their pronunciation is quite the same. The majority of the time the saying is expressed orally, rather than written, so you may not have ever thought about the difference. Well, let's see what all this has to do with a celebration of the day.

October 24 is...

National Bologna Day

Bolognahas been found in the lunchboxes of American youth for decades. Thinly sliced, it is slapped between two slices of white bread, but never served naked, insteaddressed out with yellow mustard.

Of course, if you are from the South, the bologna must be fried...

But what does the cold cut, bologna, have to do with baloney, a slang word that implies nonsense?

The bologna sausage is traditionally made from the “odds and ends” of chicken, turkey, beef, or pork. It is the American version of Italian mortadella, which originated in the Italian city of Bologna. The inexpensive deli meat is often pronounced and spelled “baloney.” Check out how this bologna is made if you dare...

Out of numerous pop stars who emerged in the 60s, most will contribute their inspiration on becoming acclaimed musicians to seeing Elvis Presley perform on TV in the 50s. After all, Elvis had become the 'King' of rock 'n' roll! The group in today's spotlight had quite a different perspective basing their dream on the music of Benny Goodman, the 'King' of Swing. The vision of the leader of this group shone brightly on having a rock band with a horn section.Today in Music History: October 23, 1976

Formed in 1967 in Chicago, Illinois, Chicago is among the Top Ten best-selling US musical groups of all time. The band's name capitalizes on the city of Chicago, which has served as the nurturer of numerous talented musicians, as well as becoming a magnet that continues to draw upon the best musical talent from across the nation. It all started with a dream.

From Dream to Reality...

In 1967, Chicago musicians Walter Parazaider, Terry Kath, Danny
Seraphine, Lee Loughnane, James Pankow, Robert Lamm, and Peter Cetera
formed a group with one dream, to integrate all the musical diversity
from their beloved city and weave a new sound, a rock ‘n’ roll band with
horns. Their dream turned into record sales topping the 100,000,000
mark, including 21 Top 10 singles, 5 consecutive Number One albums, 11
Number One singles and 5 Gold singles. An incredible 25 of their 34
albums have been certified platinum, and the band has a total of 47 gold
and platinum awards. Source: A Chicago Story

1976Chicago started a two week run at No.1 on the US singles chart
with 'If You Leave Me Now'. It was the group's 18th Top 40 and first US
No.1, also a No.1 in the UK. It went on to win a Grammy Award for Best
Pop Vocal Performance.

Saturday, October 22, 2016

The first question for today's celebration happens to be, "Are we celebrating a pie or a cake?" It's name indicates the foodie of choice is a pie. Yet, its consistency leans more toward a cake.It does have cake layers but also a creamy custard filling most indicative of a pie. One thing for sure...it is scrumptious and what does it really matter, pie or cake?

October 23 is...

National Boston Cream Pie Day

More a cake than a pie, this Boston creation has become a favorite dessert item in restaurants and households nationwide. With layers of sponge cake and custard topped with chocolate ganache and a sprinkle of
powdered sugar, it was good enough to be named the official dessert of Massachusetts. [Source: CDKitchen]

~Recipe Time~

It was too difficult a decision just to include one recipe of the day. So, here are a few different spins: (Click each image for source & recipes.)

The Original Boston Cream Pie Cake

Boston Ice Cream Pie Cake

Easy Layered Boston Cream Pie Cake

Boston Cream Pie Cupcakes

Mini Boston Cream Pies & MORE

Can't leave without a cheesecake...

Boston Cream Pie Cheesecake

If you live in the Boston area, here are some of the Boston Cream Pie delights known around town...

Every song competes with the music of the past, present and future. Within the world of song is competition that extends itself worldwide. Each country sports its own special events tapping into raw, new talent. Winning entrants, as well as many runner-ups, go on to special contracts, further competitions and/or entertainment positions around the globe. Not all recording artists begin with a competition. Some talented musicians just happen to be at the right place at the right time while others continue to struggle in hopes of reaching the top of the Billboard charts. Or, there just comes along the right song, maybe a new song or one recorded decades earlier to once again soar to the top.

1966The Supremes became the first female group to have a No.1 album on
the US chart with 'The Supremes a Go Go', knocking The Beatles
'Revolver', from the top of the charts. The album was the first album by an all-female group to reach number-one on the Billboard 200 album charts in the United States.
Remaining on the Billboard album chart for 60 weeks, it sold over 1
million copies in the United States and about 3.5 million copies
world-wide, making it their 2nd best selling album behind their chart
busting Greatest Hits
which sold over 3 million copies in the states and over 6 million
copies world-wide and held onto the #1 spot for 5 weeks on Billboard
Magazine.

1966The Beach Boys ‘Good Vibrations’ made its debut on the US singles
chart. Written by Brian Wilson and Mike Love, the track was recorded
over 6 weeks in four different Los Angeles studios, at a cost of over
$16,000. The recording engineer would later say that the last take
sounded exactly like the first, six months earlier. The record would
reach No.1 on the US charts in December 1966.

1969Led Zeppelin II was released on Atlantic Records in the UK. The
Jimmy Page-produced album which was recorded over six months between
four European and three American tours, peaked at No.1 in both the UK
and US, going on to sell over 12 million copies in the US alone, (and
spending 138 weeks on the UK chart). The album is now recognized by
writers and music critics as one of the greatest and most influential
rock albums ever recorded.

1988Phil Collins started a two week run at No.1 on the US singles chart with 'Groovy Kind Of Love', his 6th US No.1. In 1966, this was also recorded by Patti LaBelle And The Bluebelles, but
the version recorded by The Mindbenders, who released it as their first
single without lead singer Wayne Fontana, became the hit. Collins' version was used in the movie Buster, where Collins plays the
title role of Buster Edwards. Collins put together the soundtrack using
various '60s songs. A child actor, Collins was wary about taking a
movie role after becoming famous as a musician, and he made sure the
song didn't appear until the end of the film so musical perceptions
wouldn't taint his performance.

1996 It was announced that, "The Beatles were now bigger than The
Beatles". The statement was based on sales so far this year, having sold
6,000,000 albums from their back catalog and a combined total of
13,000,000 copies of ‘The Beatles Anthology 1’ and ‘The Beatles
Anthology 2’. With the release of ‘The Beatles Anthology 3’ a week away,
it was anticipated that total Beatles album sales for 1996 would exceed
20 million. A poll showed 41 percent of sales were to teenagers who
were not born when The Beatles officially called it quits in 1970.

2008A homeless man claimed a £2,000 reward by returning a waxwork head
of ex-Beatle Sir Paul McCartney which had been left on a train. Anthony
Silva found the item in a bin at Reading station after auctioneer Joby
Carter left it under a seat at Maidenhead station. The homeless man
thought it was a Halloween mask and had been using it as a pillow before
realizing what it was. The wax model sold the following week for £5,500
at auction.

When someone says, "Jump!", the usual response is, "How high?" That is, unless you are jumping off a building or out of an airplane. For both the building and the plane, the height is usually predetermined. In both of these cases, the focus is on base jumpers leaping from the top of famous landmarks or skydiving fully equipped with a parachute. This leads to a question of the day, "Who was the first parachutist?" while another is when/who was responsible for such a phenomenal design?This Day in History: October 22, 1797

Notice the date in the image at left: 1485! Hard to imagine the first vision goes back six centuries. Notice the name—Leonardo—none other than Leonardo da Vinci. The visionary who conceived the idea of the parachute in his writings but whether he tested a model is unknown. Almost three hundred years later, the Frenchman Louis-Sebastien Lenormand fashioned a kind of parachute out of two umbrellas. He is credited with the first witnessed decent with a parachute when he jumped from a tree in 1783. Fourteen years later on October 22, 1797, André-Jacques Garnerin made the first parachute descent from high altitude (in a gondola, type of basket, detached from a balloon) with the help of a non-rigid parachute. His wife Jeanne Geneviève Labrosse made a similar descent two years later.

So, how high is high?3,000 to 13,000 feet if jumping from a plane...hopefully with a parachute!

It's never too late if you have the desire!

"When once you have tasted flight, you will forever walk the earth with your eyes turned skyward, for there you have been, and there you will always long to return." ~Leonardo da Vinci

Friday, October 21, 2016

Did you know there is a day when you can 'go nuts' (Complete Madness) and it is acceptable? Ask yourself, "Are you nuts or have you been nuts at some point in time?" Like the old saying, sometimes you feel like a nut, sometimes you don't. Of course, the meaning of this statement envelops more than one context. Is it being crazy or experiencing a craving? One thing for sure setting the temporary insanity aside, when are nuts not an appiteaser? No time!

October 22 is...

National Nut Day

On this day, you can "go nuts" for NUTS! Great way to stack up on
proteins and gobble down those crunchy peanuts, almonds, walnuts,
macadamias, chestnuts, hazelnuts, hickory,
pistachios, cashews and pecans. Whew! That is just the tip of the
iceberg since nuts have been
part of the human diet dating as far back as 7000 B.C. with more than
50 varieties having been discovered and, for the most part, consumed ever since.

As with the APPle, AppLE, APPLE-licious apple, not only are the nuts yum, yum, yum ... yummy! but they also have tremendous health benefits among
having been noted to reduce the risk of certain types of cancer, as well
as heart disease making them one of the healthiest, most
nutritious, and absolutely delicious snacks. Medical studies have shown that
eating nuts also reduces hypertension and the risks associated with heart
disease. Nuts are also full of protein, fiber, and unsaturated fat.

A Bit of 'NUT" Trivia...

By the 1940s the Goober Pea Meets the Vendor. The fresh aroma and availability of a quick snack takes to the street thereby leaving quite a legacy. While most enjoy this nutty snack in the context of being a 'nut', did you know that the goober peas (peanuts, folks) are not really nuts? They are legumes and
belong to the bean family. Check out The Peanut Institute...

Celebrate National Nut Day by eating lots of nuts as a snack, topping for a delicious casserole, sprinkling on top of your favorite ice cream, adding to the icing on the cake, even dipping some in chocolate! Resist the urge to devour all the nuts or concoctions yourself. This is a great day for sharing with your family and friends.

ALERT: Some people are allergic to nuts so be mindful and on the lookout for medical
alert bracelets or simply ask if anyone has a nut allergy.

Not only enjoy 'going nuts for nuts' but also be thankful for the farmers here and abroad who grow and harvest all that delicious nuttiness!

"A savory, buttery,
nutty, baked chicken dish with a little sweetness of honey. Excellent
for dinner parties. Everyone raves about it. Substitute any nut you
prefer with equally good results."

...OR Go Fishin'! Straight to your local market for some tilapia fillets. This recipe has already been featured on Go Fishing Day. Up to 325 reviews and still averaging 4.5 out of 5 stars! Got to be some kind of g-o-o-o-o-od eating!

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About Me

Sharla is a graduate of Troy State University and an educator with a flair for writing in poetic verse. Her latest book, Awakenings from Then ’til Now is available from Tate Publishing. It is dedicated to those who laid the foundation and established the platform for our American freedom: those who have served in the past, presently serve, or will serve our military forces in the future. A profound appreciation is extended for the sacrifice of these brave men and women who left or will leave their homes and family to ensure America’s freedom endures.

A grave price is being paid every moment of every day of the year for all the freedom America has to offer. Let us not forget those who have fought or are fighting for our nation; they are the epitome of the human spirit called freedom!